Combined internal-combustion engine and turbine



Aug. 4, 1953 J. STOTT COMBINED INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE AND TURBINE Filed Oct. 28, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 TURBINE 2 0A RBURE TOR EXHAUST Inventor John Lawrence Start Aug. 4, 1953 s o $2,647,363

COMBINED INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE AND TURBINE Filed Oct. 28, 1948 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

Inventor John Lawrence Starr MM v Aug. 4, 1953 s'ro 2,647,363

COMBINEDINTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE AND TURBINE Filed Oct. 28, 1948 s sho ts sneet :5

Fig.3.

Inventor John Lawrence Starr Patented Aug. 4, 1953 ENGINE AND TURBINE John Lawrence Stott, Saranac Lake, N. Y. Application October 28, 1948, Serial No. 57,003

1 Thisinvention comprises novel and useful improvements in acombined internal combustion engine and turbine and more specifically per,- tains to a power plant or combustion enginefin which is combined a combustion gas generator and an exhaust gas driven turbine in a novel and improved manner for more efficiently utilizing the energy developed by exploded charges of a combustible mixture.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a power plant or engine in which power is more efficiently derived from a sequence of combustion charges of combustible mixture and in a device having a relatively small number of parts.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a power plant consisting of an exhaust gas turbine and a combustion products generator for supplying exhaust gas thereto in which the combustion generator is driven entirely' and solely by the turbine, and in which the cycle of operations within the generator are effected in timed relation to rotation of theturbine.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of a, combustion gas generator consisting of a plurality of cylinders disposed; parallel-to a driving shaft and connected thereto for reciprocation of the cylinders in response to rotation of the drive shaft, together with means for admitting combustible charges into the cylinders, compressing and exploding the charges, maintaining the pistons stationary during 'a dwell period at the end of the compression stroke and throughout the combustion period while the products of combustion are being discharged to the turbine for driving the same, together with an operative connection between the turbine and the shaft for rotating the latter from the former. An important feature of the invention further resides in the provision of an improved mechanical movement for connecting the reciprocating pistons to the rotating shaft in a particular timed relationship for effecting intake and compression strokes of predetermined duration together with a' dwell period of a greater extent than either of the intake or compression periods a the sum of these 3 Claims. (01. 60-13) device.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating generally the manner of operatively connecting the turbine and the combustion'gas generator for their combined operations;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view through the combustion gas generator showing the'interior construction, the valve operating means and the piston cam actuating means of the device; Figure 3 is an end elevational' view of the arrangement shown in Figure 1,a part of the turbine casing being broken away to show the interior construction thereof Figure 4 is an end elevational view (if the arrangement shown'in Figure 1, taken from "the opposite end to Figure '3, disclosing the manner of coupling the turbine to the combustion gas generator; I g

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the valveoperating cams in relation to the cycle of operation of the device; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view showing the manner of attaching a piston connecting rod to the piston actuating cams of the Referring now more specifically to the accom panying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, attention is directed first to Figure 1 which illustrates the fundamental principles of the invene tion and in which there is disclosed an exhaust gas operated turbine H.) of any conventional dedesign, which is provided withanexhaust gas in-' let pipe l2 and an exhaust pipe [4, which inlet pipe is shown connected to the exhaust manifold system It of the combustion gas generator 18; Indicated at 20 is an intake manifold system for supplying combustible charges to the combustion gas generator it, while the numeral 22 designates generally an electrical distributor of any suitable type for distributing the electrical ignition impulses to spark plugs or other igniters in the various combustion chambers of the combus tion gas generator. l y. p g

The combustion gas generator is provided with an axially disposed drive shaft indicated generally at 24 which is provided with a sprocket wheel or gear 26 which is connected to a driving sprocket 28 on the turbine l u as by a sprocket chain 39, whereby the drive shaft of the-combustion generator will be operated by and in synchronized'relation to the rotation of the shaft f the turbine.

It should be understood that the principles of the invention may be applied to a combination wherein an exhaust gas operated turbine It may be driven by any desired number of combustion chambers of the combustion gas generator, and in Figure 2 there is shown one suitable embodiment of combustion gas generator, although it is to be understood that the principles of the invention are not limited to this arrangement which has illustrated solely an exemplification of the principles: and: spirit or the invention;

Referring now morespeciiically to Figure 2 wherein the construction of a novel combustion generator which may be employed in accordance with the principles of this invention-is:disclosed,.

it will be seen that the generator indicated generally at 18 includes a casing or body 32 which may be conveniently of a druni-likr-ishapearid which has end partitions or walls 34 andit iivwithin which is suitably journaled in anti-friction bearings 38 an axially disposed rotatable driving-shaft ;Preferably,:sparkaplugs5Q! onanyother. suitable igniting meansimay. be mounted'in the cylinder head sl8 and-JO -im-accordance withconventional practice for igniting the charges of'icom bumble mixture which-are introduced into the cylinders 44 andJG assetvforthhereinaiterl Reciprocatin'gly receivedTinleach ofTthe cylinders fl and lfirisa piston 54 which-is provided with aconnecting rodl56 having 'a' yoke 58" a't'its inner. end' which. slidiiig-ly' connected with" a cam or walibler disk at which isflxed to tn'e shart 24. By .meansof this .cam or wabbler disk; the continuous and? constant rotation, of theshaft' 2 4, which asabcve mentioned'is driven-b the turbine I effects a reciprocating motion o'fth'e'pis tbii'siil'. in synchrbni'zedrela'tion toirotation' of the 'shaft'NZaridIhehbeof'theturbine Ill. Themes ofthe drive Shaft Z4m'ay"befurther jourh'aled in suitable bearingsfif received ihbe'aririg cages 64" mounted upon theouter suriaces of tliezeyuii'der heads as and-h, and-the endso'f the shaft extend*therebeycnd' for the receptibn: of the above"nfIe'ntitined driven "spro'cket 26 to which the di ivin'g bracket ch' aihat I is attached; and to wertake-6fFsprockefi 66 which may bepiovidedwitha' sprocket chain fifi 'coiipled' to any desired machine for driving'triesame:

As so'iafdes'c'ribed it will 'thus-"be se'en that'th'e rotation-of theturbin'efl! \vill' cause' a' rot'ation'of theshard-2W and hetice areeiprccatioa of pistons 54 in timed and synchronized relatiohlther'etmby means crane: sprocket: chain Wrandi that power may lie taken omrrom the shaft-'24 by means of we sprccket and cham" 66 and: 68;

Obviously, if cylinders areprovided at one'end onlyofi the casing 32 it will be'evident: that only cam onwabbler iov is necessary; while if cylinder banksar'e prcvid'ed at both'ends ofr the a casing -32 it wiirbe rlecessary t'o-iprovide duplicatewabbiers or cams 60.

secured to the shaft M -between the 7 cylinders Manama are valveoperating camjplates"!!! and 12, having arcuate axially disposed cams I4 and 16 which operate valves 18 and respectively which may constitute a combustible mixture admission and exhaust products exhaust valves of the cylinders.

These valves may be of any suitable type, and for convenience of illustration spring closed poppet valves of a well known design have been illustratedlalthouglizit is toiheslindersto'od that the inventionis notlimitedto"this"pa"rticular type of valve but that all equivalent valve mechanisms may be employed. However, it is to be emphasizedmhatthe-ivalves are operated in synchronization=withttlie position of the pistons 54 in their individualcylinders since the valve actuation and piston actuation-are both timed by the cam members carriedlbytthadriving shaft 24.

Itis'tb be distinctly understood that the valves control: intake and exhaust conduits, and that these conduits merge into a common intake maniiold anda common exhaust-manifold at-eacheend of the engine. asshown in Eig-ure 1;

The. distributor .22 is likewise: connected .toithe driving. shaft .25 for, operation imsynchronization therewith, whereby. the. initiationiofcombustion in each cylinder willLoccur in properlyitimedire lation to l the position. oflthei .pistontherein.

It should be here noted .tli-atlthe explosionzwithin the combustion chambers .of 'eaehaofr'tha cylin ders is incapable of causing ntation .oi'thashaft 2 8 as a direct resulttliereoflbut issolely' forithe purpose of'pro'ducin'g corn'oustionproductscwhich are delivered to? the exhaust gas, turbine 1 01 for operatingthe latter, inturn servesnto. drive thesh"aft"'24""for' causing'the cyclic operationot the,pistons in a manner to be now setiorth- It is well*k'nowntlciatfiri' employing combustion charges" in" an engine for obtaining power,, that considerable power is lost bycrea'son of the fact thatwhen the charges are exhausted totthe at: mosph'er'e'; they still retain considerabIe. potential andithermo dynamic energy-therein: obviously, if, in the ordinary piston engine" fhll'utilization could be'made of the expansive power" ofthe ex plb'ded charges; a more 'efii'cient engine woul'di re-.- sulti However" in" suchengin'esin View". of the limited tin'1'e'in' whicli'tlie-eirhaustgases-mustex pand anddbtheii useful 'w'orl' omthepistbnqifis impossible to fully utilize-ail of the-"energy'of the charges.

In the present-device however the-"-cams or walabldzr" plates 60" are emplbyed to impart tothe pistons'a'n intake' or suctionsti'olie, a compression stroke; and: their to ho'ld the piston stationary dnringta' dwell period in which combustion and exhaustro'fzthe charges is eifect'edi For this-purpose, ax-predetermined? portioni'of the cam 6B; which" may conveniently be: at" least one half ofthe circur'rrference ofithe'i cam; and some-instances an: even: greaterproportionof? the Y cam circumference; is 'flisposed the same rmiial' plane whereby the pistons-are held agadnsttmovee ment; Whilerthei remaziningisurface cf the camlis provided with: reaches; for efiectingfither intake and the: compression strokes ofr the zpistom. A: convenientangularw relationr ofi the intake and compression: reaches-and: the cam 'dW8113p8Dl0Il is. indicated-in Figure 5, and: the-relationi-of the valve actuating cams l4 and 16 thBZEBtOuiSTalSU depicted.- 'Ihus atthe point; 82 in; the angular rotation of the -shaft M the cam plate-fill andthe valve-cams Hitor a My, the pistonsheginl their; inward or intakestroke for drawing, ina chargeof combustible z mixture through: a the. intaheimanh fold from-aanyi -suitable: change. forming 'devioe 3 such as a carbureter 84, see Flgullefal tvhrgugh 5 the intake valves 89, until the completion of the intake stroke at the point 86, which is the position shown at the lower left hand cylinder of 'Figure 2, at which time the pistons start their compression stroke, the intake valves closed. From the position 88 to that indicated at 88, the pistons move inwardly on their compression stroke, whereby the inducted charge is now compressed in readiness for ignition. During this time, all of the valves are closed. At the point 88, ignition is effected by the distributor 22 through the agency of the spark plug orlother igniters 52 by an ignition system of any conventional design, the details of which have not been illustrated as forming no part of this invention.

Coincident with or shortly after the period of ignition, and beginning with the position 88, the exhaust valve cam 14 opens the exhaust valve 78 whereby the combustion charge may commence its flow into the exhaust turbine through the ducts l2. At this time, the radial portion of the cam plate 60 maintains thepistons 54 at their innermost position at the completion of the exhaust stroke, thus producing a dwell of the pistons which as above mentioned may be of any desired extent. The pistons are thus held inwardly until the entire combusted charges are delivered through the duct [2 into the turbine for driving the same.

At the completion of the travel from the points 88 to 82, the shaft 24 has completed its revolution, and the pistons are ready to commence their next cycle of operations.

As will be noted from Figure 2, the pistons 54 at the end of their inward or compression stroke are in substantial contact with the cylinder heads 48 and 50 to provide only a working clearance therebetween, since no appreciable clearance for combustion chamber volume is necessary at this point, since the space above the valves will provide the necessary combustion space.

Reference is next made to Figure 6 where it will be seen that the connecting rod 56 which may be rigidly and integrally formed with the yoke 58 is provided with an anti-friction connection with the cam disk 60. For this purpose, the plate 60 is received within the yoke 58, and is engaged by a pair of anti-friction balls 99 and 92, received in recesses or ball retaining sockets 94 and 96. One of the sockets such as the socket 96 may have a compression spring 98 received therein whereby the ball 92 may be resiliently urged against the cam plate 69 to take up wear between the balls and the plate.

From the foregoing, the construction operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary.

However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A combustion products generator comprising a tube having end walls removably attached thereto, said end walls having apertures therethrough in communication with hollow cylinders integral with said end walls and having an outer wall, igniting means secured in said outer Wall, a shaft journalled in said end walls and said outer wall, a piston secured in each of said cylinders, rods secured to said pistons, an orifice in each of said cylinders in communication with a common duct, valves in said common duct, cams secured to said shaft between said end and outer walls for actuating said valves, and wabbler disks secured to said shaft for selective actuation of said pistons upon rotation of said shaft, means driving said shaft, and power take-01f means connected to said shaft.

2. A combustion products generator comprising a tube having end walls attached thereto, said end walls having apertures therein in communication with hollow cylinders having outer walls, said cylinders being secured to said end walls, igniting means secured in said outer walls, valve means selectively opening and closing communication between said cylinders and a common duct, a shaft journalledin said end walls and said outer wall, cams secured to said shaft between said end walls and said outer walls for actuating said valve means, pistons secured in said cylinders, rods secured to said pistons and extending through said end walls and wabbler disks secured to said shaft engaging said rods for selective actuation of said piston upon rotation of said shaft.

3. A combustion products generator comprising a tube having end walls attached thereto, said end walls having apertures therein in communication with hollow cylinders having outer walls, said cylinders being secured to said end walls, igniting means secured in said outer walls, valve means selectively opening and closing communication between said cylinders and a common duct, a shaft journalled in said end walls and said outer wall, cams secured to said shaft between said end walls and said outer walls for actuating said valve means, pistons slidably em placed in said cylinders, rods secured at one end thereof to said pistons, the other ends of said rods extending through said end walls, spring retaining means secured to said rods engaging wabbler disks secured to said shaft, said wabbler disks causing oscillating movement of said piston upon rotation of said shaft.

JOHN LAWRENCE STOTT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

